Easy At Home Manicure

Monday, August 8, 2016

Happy Monday my friends! Today's post is very near and dear to my heart, as it's about at-home manicures! I went through a period where I was getting gel nails every couple of weeks. I think there's a lot of girls out there who do this, but for me, it didn't last long. It's SO expensive getting your nails done every few weeks. $30 dollars every few weeks may not seem like much, but it gets so expensive so quickly. As a college student, I'm always looking for ways to save money. At-home manicures has got to be one of my favorite money saving tricks, as you can basically get the same results for ZERO dollars (once you have the right supplies of course). It's definitely worth investing in these few items, because they will last awhile and end up saving you so much money in the end. Now, I've spent a lot of time trying to find the right products (and the BEST products) for doing an at-home manicure. I've finally found some of the best products out there. I hope you all enjoy this post about my at-home manicure routine!

Step 1: Push back cuticles.

Okay, here's one thing I never liked at the salon. They basically tear you cuticles off with a little tool. I was never a fan of this, and while you can purchase one of these tools to remove your cuticles, I've always preferred the tools that just simply push back your cuticles. No damage is done to your cuticles whatsoever! I use the cuticle pusher from this Revlon Nail Care Kit and it's always worked great for me. It just gently pushes your cuticles back without damaging them.

Step 2: File your nails into your desired shape.

Filing your nails is a super important step in an at-home manicure. I actually can't even remember the last time I used nail clippers on my nails. I love using a file because I feel like it's less damaging to the nail and you can really get precise with the shape you want. I tried out the almond nail shape for awhile, and as I mentioned in a previous post, I loved it. For some reason though, I decided to go back to square nails. I just feel like they look better on me for some reason! I always try to file my nails in one direction so that I don't damage them. I use this Revlon Nail File and it works great! I find that a lot of nails files wear out easily but this one doesn't seem to at all.

Step 3: Buff your nails.

Buffing your nails is not something you should do every time you paint your nails, because it can actually thin out your nails and that's not a good thing. I would say I do this maybe 1-2 times a month. You can usually tell when your nails need to be buffed, as they may start to get a bit rough. Adore Cosmetics has this awesome nail kit that I would highly recommend. It comes with this buffer with 3 different strips. The buff itself has instructions of how to use it right on the product, so it's super simple and easy to use. It leaves your nails looking so shiny!

Step 4: Use a cuticle oil.

I love using a cuticle oil because it repairs dry/cracked cuticles and leaves your whole nail feeling really soft and healthy. This is another product from Adore Cosmetics that I've been using for awhile and absolutely LOVE. I apply this to my cuticles and massage it for a few seconds. If you leave it on for at least 5 minutes, your cuticles and nails will be so soft afterwards! Then just simply rinse the oil off and you're good to go.

Step 5: Apply a base coat.

I've tried out a lot of base coats, but I finally discovered this Sally Hansen Double Duty Base/Top Coat and it's amazing. I mentioned this in my July Favorites. I actually don't use it as a top coat because I prefer a quick drying top coat, but it's the best base coat I've ever used. My manicure lasts 1-2 weeks when I use this, so I'd highly recommend purchasing it if you plan on doing at-home manicures often!

Step 6: Apply your nail polish.

My favorite polish brand is by far Essie, which I'm sure you've seen me talking about before. Their polish doesn't chip on me and it lasts a really long time. I can get through a whole bottle before the polish ends up getting old and sticky, which is pretty rare I feel. This is Essie's Baby's Breath.

Step 7: Apply a top coat.

Okay, here we have probably my most favorite product ever. This is the Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat, and it's FABULOUS. This stuff is honestly so good. I simply apply it over my nail polish and it drys it completely within a few minutes. I feel like I'm always smudging my nails right after I paint them, so this product absolutely saved me.

What products are you guys loving for at-home manicures?

This post contains affiliate links. I only link products that I truly use and love!

This is such a lovely idea, I will be trying this when I feel like treating myself! I am still trying to follow your blog via GFC, I think it's quite a common problem at the moment with google accounts. I promise I will as soon as possible. :)

I actually really loved this blog post because I'm one of those guilty gals that goes for regularly nail work and boy does it add up! I think I just need to spend the time to do it myself. I really like all the products you listed and will have to look into each thing. I just hate how fast regular polish chips off that's why I love shellac, it's worry free =P